Return of the Shadow Games
by Hinotama Soul
Summary: **LAST CHAPTER** What happens when all seven Millennium items are in one spot? Chapter contains the final destination of Yami, Yami Bakura, and their descendants.
1. The Pharaoh Spirit

****Introduction****  
  
Hello, everyone. This is my third real story here at fanfiction.net, and I wanted to give some background information before I begin. First, this story takes place in the year 3002, 1000 years from now. For reasons that will be explained in the story, Yami has a new host, one of Yugi's American descendants (Gary, a boy that mostly looks like Yugi, with perhaps the exception of his eyes). The goal here is to finally get his memories, back, of course. Along the course of the story, you will learn what happened to Yugi, and how Yami will survive with his new host. Of course, he's not the only one who has returned . . .  
  
Anyway, this story is meant to be read in its entirety, because otherwise, you'll miss something. So check for updates. I've been working really hard on this story. Well, now we begin . . .  
  
  
  
~ . . . ~ = Yami Yugi's thoughts  
  
Long ago, when the Duel Monsters Card Game was still new, chosen duelists brought back the dark and mysterious games from Primitive Egypt. A brave and powerful pharaoh, whose spirit was locked away in the Millennium Puzzle, had been infused with a young boy, who tried to help him regain his forbidden memories by obtaining the three cards of god. But one day, during an ensuing battle - a Shadow Game - for the Millennium Puzzle, the three hosts of these Primitive spirits were killed. Some friends of the host of the pharaoh found four of the seven Millennium items at the scene of the battle and put them away, never to see daylight, until one day . . .  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
America, 3002: The world has gone backwards in technology over the past millennia, in the attempt to save natural resources. In fact, so much technology has disappeared, that the Internet had been recently re- introduced. The best way to speak of the world now is to compare it to how it was in the year 2000.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Standing beside his father's deathbed, Gary was in tears. A cancer had taken over his father, and it was finally about time.  
  
"Reach under my bed," his father said weakly, "to where my belongings are."  
  
Gary pulled a shoebox from under the hospital bed and opened the lid.  
  
"It's a Primitive puzzle (Primitive = Ancient, but in the future, Ancient would be referring to around the year 2000). I have been trying to solve it since my father gave it to me when I was sixteen. But, I have failed in my attempts, and since I will just barely miss your sixteenth birthday, I'm letting you have it now," his father explained.  
  
Gary lifted the puzzle out of the box. "Father," he whined.  
  
"You seem to be better at these sort of things than I was," his father went on. "This puzzle - I think it's called a Millennium Puzzle - has been passed down from generation to generation, but it still isn't completed. MY father told me that somewhere down the line, it HAD been completed by one of my ancestors."  
  
"Ancestors?" Gary couldn't say much in his dismay, but he was savoring every last word from his dying father. He looked at the Millennium Puzzle, which appeared to be about three-fourths completed.  
  
"I don't know much about it, but I have a feeling that it is special. And I want you to protect it - keep it with you always - as a reminder. A reminder of how your father has failed!" His father closed his eyes and never opened them again.  
  
"Father!" yelled Gary, clutching the Puzzle. He walked out of the room solemnly.  
  
* * *  
  
The week after his father's death, Gary did not leave his room for anything. His mother brought him food, which he ate very little of. He was working on the Millennium Puzzle on behalf of his father. Gary (whose yellow, magenta, and black, spiky hair was getting dingy from not being washed for that long) was known by his friends to be very good at solving riddles and puzzles. He was sort of a hot-shot. Recently, when the Duel Monsters Card Game was brought back into existence by a company called Upper Deck, he entered a tournament and won the Grand Prize - a trophy that looked like - the Millennium Puzzle!  
  
His best friend, Ryou, was starting to get really worried about Gary. Ryou came by the house every day to give Gary the schoolwork that he was missing, since he hadn't gone to school since his father died.  
  
Ryou knocked on the door. "Is it okay if I come into your room?" No response. He opened the door anyway. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Just working on this," Gary answered blankly.  
  
"Again?" Ryou pulled out something from beneath his shirt. "Oh yeah, I brought this from home," he said. "I thought of it when I saw that weird eye on one of the piece on your puzzle. I thought I'd show it to ya'."  
  
Gary, for the first time in a while, was alert. "It looks like it is somehow related to my Millennium Puzzle."  
  
"Millennium Puzzle?" Ryou asked. "How do you know what it's called?"  
  
"My, um, father told me . . ." Gary answered, then became silent.  
  
"Well," Ryou tried to cheer him up with his dumb little nervous laugh, "I guess I can call THIS a Millennium Ring."  
  
Just then, Gary picked up the last piece of the Millennium Puzzle, which had the weird eye on it, and put it in.  
  
"You know," said Ryou, "that puzzle looks just like that trophy that you won at the Duel Monsters tournament." He put the schoolwork he had brought over on Gary's desk. "Well, I have to head out now. See ya', Gary." He walked out.  
  
Gary nodded. The Millennium Puzzle started to glow. "What the -" he said.  
  
What happened after that was amazing. A swirl of hieroglyphs and light transformed Gary. He grew slightly taller, his hair shot further upward, and his eyes shrank and became somewhat evil-looking. At that point, Gary wasn't aware of what happened.  
  
The pharaoh spirit had taken over him, blocking out Gary's thoughts, perceptions, etc.  
  
"Where am I?" the pharaoh spirit asked himself. "Where is Yugi?" He sat on Gary's bed, trying to remember (Over the years, his memory wore a bit.) The last thing he remembered, his past host, Yugi, and two offenders, Bakura and Malik, were about to begin a Shadow Game, with the Millennium Puzzle at stake. But when the Game started, the spirit was somehow locked in, and could not help little Yugi.  
  
His eyes widened. "Could it be? Could Yugi have been killed?" He shook his head. "No. No." He looked solemn. "I tried my best to help him . . . but . . . he CAN'T be gone . . ."  
  
He sat for a moment and wondered if this new host he had was Yugi. Perhaps he had moved to a different house, or something. He went back inside, and Gary emerged again.  
  
~Yugi?~  
  
Gary heard this, but he just thought that it was voices in his head. Which, it sort of was, but not in the way he thought. He laid on his bed, thinking about his father again.  
  
~Yugi?~  
  
"That's weird. What's Yugi?" Gary asked himself.  
  
The pharaoh spirit realized that this host was not Yugi - only a descendent of his.  
  
Gary then remembered that during that Duel Monsters tournament he had entered, there had been a presentation about the Ancient Duel Monsters Card Game that they were bringing back. There were slides, although Gary couldn't remember most of them. All he remembered was one of what they called Duel Disks, one that looked like an arena, and a picture of the Duelist Kingdom's King of Games, Yugi Moto.  
  
"Hmm, why did I suddenly think of that?" Gary wondered.  
  
* * *  
  
A few days later, Gary returned to school. He met up with Ryou before classes started.  
  
"Hey, man!" Ryou slapped Gary on the back. "I'm so glad that you finally decided to come back. So, I see you're now wearing that Millennium Puzzle of yours. Cool chain!"  
  
"I'm protecting it, as my father told me to." Gary paused. "And I see you've still got that Millennium Ring."  
  
Ryou nodded. "It somehow always finds it was back to me." He laughed. "It's weird, but maybe it's just me."  
  
Gary noticed for the first time that Ryou had a bandage wrapped around the upper part of his left arm. "What happened to your arm?"  
  
Ryou laughed. "I've had it for a while, but you didn't notice it. I really don't remember how I got it. I must have sleep-walked. My mom tells me that I do that at night sometimes. It really scares her."  
  
"It looks pretty bad," Gary commented.  
  
Ryou shrugged. "It'll get better, I guess."  
  
"So . . . where did you get your Millennium Ring?"  
  
"Well," Ryou said, "when I was still living in Japan, my parents took me to see its antiquated houses. We went in one, and my dad said that the best duelist of the Ancient times lived there. And . . . I don't remember exactly how, but I found this Ring."  
  
Gary's eyes widened. "Best duelist of the Ancient times?" he repeated. "I was recently thinking about the slide show we saw at the tournament. One of them showed a picture of the Duelist Kingdom's King of Games."  
  
"Oh yeah! I remember." Ryou put his hand behind his head. "Yugi - Yugi Moto, the one I said kinda looks like you."  
  
Gary rolled his eyes. "Somehow, I think that your Millennium Ring and my Millennium Puzzle are related to this Yugi guy."  
  
"You think so? Really?" Ryou asked.  
  
A big guy walked by just then, pushing Ryou and Gary aside.  
  
"How rude," Gary said. He hadn't seen the guy before. He must have transferred in while he was absent.  
  
The big guy turned around. "What'd you say?" He gripped Gary by the chain attached to his Millennium Puzzle. Ryou went to report the guy.  
  
The Puzzle began to glow, and the pharaoh spirit took over once more. "Let go," was all he said.  
  
"Why should I?" the guy asked, but he let go anyway. "Who are you, anyway?"  
  
Since the spirit didn't know who his host was, he didn't respond.  
  
"Oh, wise guy, huh?"  
  
"I propose that we play a game," the spirit said. He reached into his host's pockets for anything he could find. He hadn't played one of these "games" for a millennia, so he would use whatever he could find. Strangely enough, he found a Duel Monsters deck inside.  
  
~These cards sure look different from the ones I'm used to.~  
  
"I will decide your fate," the spirit went on. "We'll both choose a card from this deck, and whoever's attack points come out the highest wins."  
  
The big guy scoffed. "I'm not playing your silly game. Now put those cards away so I can beat the life out of you." He made a grab for the cards.  
  
"You have broken the rules," the pharaoh spirit said. "You have opened the gates to Hell!"  
  
"What the -" the big guy blurted.  
  
The spirit opened his hand and faced his palm toward the big guy.  
  
Ryou came back with one of the science teachers at the school. "Where did he go, Gary?"  
  
The teacher was crossing her arms. "This is the second complaint about that guy this week."  
  
~Gary? Is that the name of my host?~  
  
"I - He . . . he left," the spirit said.  
  
"All right, man!" Ryou said. The teacher left. "I didn't know that you could pull off some moves."  
  
The bell rang. Class had begun for the day.  
  
(To be continued.) 


	2. Legend of the Duelists

Author's Note: There appears to be some question about how Yugi had descendants. By descendants, I mean that somewhere in Yugi's family line, there were later generations. Yugi never has children, but some of his relatives may have. The same thing goes for Kyle (you'll meet him in this chapter), though it is possible that his ancestor did have children. And another thing. although Gary's best friend's name is Ryou Bakura, he is NOT a descendant of Bakura.  
  
~ . . . ~ = Yami Yugi's thoughts  
  
Ryou dashed off. "I'll race ya'!"  
  
Gary didn't move. He couldn't. Something was bothering him, quite immensely.  
  
~Gary?~  
  
He thought he was hearing things.  
  
~Gary . . . Gary . . . Gary.~  
  
Gary shook his head, trying to rid of the voices. "I must be going nuts."  
  
~Gary, listen to me.~  
  
He fell to his knees. "What has happened to me?" He clutched the Millennium Puzzle and felt immense power coming from it. "Father!" He dropped his head.  
  
~I live in the Puzzle.~  
  
"W-what does? . . . No . . . I have to get over his death!" Without knowing what to do next, he ran out of the school and to the park. "Father . . . you're haunting . . . me."  
  
* * *  
  
"Huh?!" Ryou said when he got to his desk. He pounded his fist onto his desk. "It must have been that new guy! He got Gary!" He sprung from his desk.  
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Bakura," the teacher said. "Please sit down."  
  
"But -" began Ryou, still standing. "But that new guy has Gary!"  
  
The teacher opened his desk and took out his radio. He mumbled something into the speaker. "I've called campus security. Don't meddle, and please sit down."  
  
The class laughed.  
  
The teacher was marking things off in his roll book. "That's two absences today."  
  
* * *  
  
The other absent person also had problems of his own.  
  
"I don't see why I had to go all the way over here to see some old junk!"  
  
"Kyle, it's part of our family history. Every generation has made this trip. It's like religion!"  
  
Kyle, his little brother Mike, and his father had just exited an airport terminal in Japan. Kyle's father called a taxi.  
  
"Welcome to Japan," the driver said in a weird accent, smiling.  
  
"To the Kaiba Museum, please," Kyle's father directed.  
  
"Ah," said the driver. "Good choice. Is this your first time going there?"  
  
Kyle's father stared out the window. "It's my second time, but my boy's first."  
  
The driver chuckled. "Ah, young man. I have been interested in the Kaiba Museum since I was a young boy. I've been there so many times, but I see something new every time!"  
  
"Sure," said Kyle. "What does this have to do with me?"  
  
"I don't know," said the driver, "but the Kaiba Museum is quite an attraction. A thousand years ago, it used to be a huge company. It used to produce the Ancient Duel Disks and arenas. After the technology was no longer used and the owner died, it was turned into a museum."  
  
"Duel Disks, eh?" asked Kyle. He knew a little about them, since he had also seen the slide show at the tournament. But he wasn't a duelist himself; he had only come along to watch Mike play.  
  
"I know how you kids like Duel Monsters," said the driver. "I'm glad the game has come back."  
  
Now that Kyle knew that the museum related to Duel Monsters, his interests were a little peaked. The taxi pulled up to the museum.  
  
"Have fun, young man," said the driver. "And I hope that this trip will benefit you greatly."  
  
After paying and passing through a metal detector, Kyle, Mike, and their father began to navigate.  
  
"According to this brochure," said Kyle's father. "There should be a short video playing in this room." The three sat down, along with the ten or so other people inside. The lights dimmed, and the video began.  
  
"In Ancient times, Kaiba Corporation was a shining star. Playing Duel Monsters got more realistic with the technologies produced here. The company, run by people of the Kaiba name, made billions and billions of dollars. The youngest owner, who was said to be as young as 17, was named Seto Kaiba. He was adopted into the family, but when his father died, he took over at that young age. Seto Kaiba was not only the manager, but he was a pretty good duelist himself. In fact, he was so good that, for a time, he ranked number one in the world.  
  
"That all changed, when one day, he challenged an unknown duelist named Yugi Moto. Moto defeated him in this match, and in later matches. When Moto died suddenly, Kaiba hoped to become the world champion once more, but he felt that he didn't deserve it . . . and never played Duel Monsters again. When Kaiba died, Duel Monsters had become so unpopular that the cards were no longer produced, and the company was changed into this museum."  
  
The video began to replay, but this time, in Japanese. Kyle, Mike, and their father walked out of the room.  
  
While his eyes were adjusting to being in the light, Kyle remembered that Yugi Moto had been mentioned in the slide show at the tournament.  
  
In the next room, they saw a replica of Seto Kaiba's tombstone. It looked like a stone tablet, with a picture of himself and a dragon behind him. In the room after that, they saw the preserved arena in which Kaiba had dueled Yugi. Then, they came upon an exhibit of Duel Disks.  
  
After about an hour in the museum, the three were about to reach the exit. The last exhibit showed a taped-up Blue Eyes White Dragon card, locked in a clear box.  
  
"Whoa, dad, what's that card?" Mike wondered.  
  
Kyle read the information that was next to it. "The legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon card is said to have been Seto Kaiba's trademark card. With all this wealth, he was able to obtain three out of the four in the world. This particular one belonged to a relative of his nemesis, Yugi Moto. It is said that Kaiba had ripped up the card so that it could never be used against him."  
  
"I would sure love a card like that," said Mike.  
  
His dad laughed. "They don't make those anymore! This is the only one, and it's ripped up."  
  
They walked out of the museum and decided to walk to their hotel, which was several blocks ahead. On the way, they passed a cemetery.  
  
"Let's go inside! Maybe Seto Kaiba is buried here," Kyle said.  
  
"I doubt it, but we'll have a look see," said his father. "Why would he want to be buried here?"  
  
But sure enough, in the very back of the cemetery, Mike and Kyle found the graves of Seto Kaiba and Mokuba Kaiba, his younger brother.  
  
"But this tombstone isn't like the one in the museum," said Kyle, leaning in. "They forgot to put in THIS part." He pointed to some blurry words.  
  
"Okay, sons, let's go," said their father, slightly creeped out by the place.  
  
Kyle quickly tried to make sense of the words. "My beasts are with the man who stripped me of my crown," he read quietly to himself, and then ran to catch up with his brother and father.  
  
* * *  
  
The pharaoh spirit was deeply depressed. Yugi Moto, his previous host, was incredibly righteous. He and Yugi had a bond stronger than friendship - it was like they were a part of each other. And now that Yugi was gone, the spirit felt as though a part of him had gone with him.  
  
Yugi had volunteered to help the spirit obtain the three god cards. Together, they entered a tournament called Battle City, hosted by Seto Kaiba, to try to get the cards. When all in the same person's hand, the god cards were supposed to give that person that pharaoh's memories. The spirit thought that he and Yugi were making good progress. They had two of the god cards - Obelisk and Osiris. They also had two Millennium items, the Millennium Puzzle, and . . .  
  
~Where is the Millennium Tauk (Necklace)?~  
  
"Okay," Gary said to himself. "Whatever is going on, I'm going to have to fight it. My father said that he had failed, but I'm going to prove that he had succeeded! I refuse to fail now!" He paused. "Okay, who are you?"  
  
There was silence in his mind for a second, and then . . .  
  
~I am the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle.~  
  
Gary stopped. "Father?"  
  
~No, I am not your father, and I am deeply sorry that he is gone.~  
  
"If you're not my father, then who are you?"  
  
~I believe I come from Ancient Egypt, but I will never know for sure.~  
  
"What do you MEAN you don't know?" Gary was starting to think that this was a bad idea, but because he felt that the voice was a little more than just insanity speaking, he decided to continue.  
  
~I - I was on a quest. Yugi and I . . . on a quest for my memories.~  
  
"Yugi Moto? The Ancient King of Games?"  
  
~Mm. He was my other self.~  
  
"What are you talking about?" Gary touched his forehead, but there was no sign of a fever.  
  
~You are not ill. Please, trust me.~  
  
"I wish I could, but I - I can't!" Gary reached for the chain and took off the Millennium Puzzle. He put it in his book bag and walked home to take a nap and clear his mind of this madness.  
  
* * *  
  
Ryou was walking over to Gary's house after school but was suddenly stopped. His Millennium Ring glowed, signaling the emergence of its spirit. His hair suddenly became sharper, and his large, innocent eyes, narrowed into very evil ones.  
  
"Cards of god . . ." the spirit said, blocking out Ryou so he wouldn't know of any of this. "I must seek them. And the Millennium Puzzle! I never thought I would see it again." He laughed sinisterly. "To finally get my prize, I must bring on the second return of the Shadow Games!"  
  
The spirit of the Millennium Ring retreated, causing Ryou to come back out. But he was not finished, for as Ryou was trying to remember where he had been headed, he suddenly felt as though his conscience was nagging him to go to the airport.  
  
(To be continued.) 


	3. The Memory of Yugi Moto

~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts + . . . + = Gary's thoughts  
  
Upon falling asleep, Gary was very disturbed by his dark and terrifying dreams.  
  
* * *  
  
"This is one Shadow Game that you cannot win," said an evil-looking, white-haired person.  
  
"I've never lost Shadow Games against you before, Bakura, and I'm not starting now!" a boy, quite similar-looking to Gary, yelled.  
  
The one named Bakura shook his head. "You may have won before, but that was because you only have ME to deal with, Yugi."  
  
The boy, Yugi, widened his eyes. "What do you mean?"  
  
Another sinister figure emerged from the darkness. "Malik!" Yugi cried.  
  
"Yes, Yugi," Bakura said. "And with our combined powers - nothing will stop us from destroying you once and for all!" He walked around Yugi. "And to stop your protector from foiling our plans . . ."  
  
Malik swung a sharp rod at Yugi's Millennium Puzzle and shattered it to pieces.  
  
And all was blackness.  
  
* * *  
  
Gary woke up in a sweat. "W-What was that?" He stood up from his bed so quickly that he felt dizzy. "Yugi, again?" He shook his head. "That was no ordinary dream. Could it have to do with that Millennium Puzzle voice?" Then, he remembered: In the dream, that Yugi was wearing the same Millennium Puzzle that Gary had!  
  
He went to his book bag and took out the Puzzle. "This was the Millennium Puzzle of the legendary Yugi Moto!" He hung it back on his neck. "If you're still there, Puzzle guy, tell me if you have anything to do with Yugi Moto!"  
  
A pause.  
  
~Yugi was my other self.~  
  
"Other self? Is this his Millennium Puzzle?"  
  
~Mm. And I am its spirit.~ "But - why are you in there? And what are you doing here?"  
  
~I don't know.~  
  
"How could you not know?"  
  
~Yugi and I were on a quest to regain my memories, but . . . we failed.~  
  
Gary's eyes widened. "Failed?"  
  
The pharaoh spirit was solemn. ~He was involved with a Shadow Game . . .~  
  
"Shadow Game? I saw that in my dream! And Yugi was there with two evil guys!"  
  
~Mm. I was never able to see that Shadow Game. This Millennium Puzzle was broken, and because of that, I was unable to emerge and help him.~  
  
Gary nodded, knowing about the broken Puzzle.  
  
~The next thing I knew, I was here, with you.~  
  
"Me?" he gulped. "But I -"  
  
~I will understand if you do not wish to help me.~  
  
"Help you? Help you with what?"  
  
~My memories. I need the god cards . . .~  
  
Gary didn't know what to say. He felt very incapable of helping anyone, especially since he didn't even really know this guy. He only knew a life of showy tricks that he used to impress people - Duel Monsters being one of those things he liked to show off with.  
  
~It's okay, Gary.~  
  
Suddenly, Gary had a flashback of his father calling himself a failure. "No. It's not okay. If I couldn't help my father not feel like a failure, then at least let me try to help you."  
  
~Thank you.~  
  
Gary's mother walked in just then with her sister (his aunt). "What are you doing, talking to yourself like that?"  
  
He quickly picked up a stack of papers. "Talking to myself? Oh, no, not me. Just practicing . . . for a play at school." He grinned widely.  
  
As his mom and aunt were leaving, he overheard his aunt say, "He must still be mourning."  
  
He talked lower now. "What do you need from me?"  
  
The spirit seemed to laugh, for the first time in a millennia. ~You may communicate by thoughts alone, you know.~  
  
+Can you hear me?+  
  
~Loud and clear.~  
  
+I hope I don't think anything stupid . . . So what do I need to know?+  
  
~Well, before the incident, Yugi and I had gained possession of 2 of the 3 god cards - Osiris and Obelisk.~  
  
Gary was unclear about the concept of a god card. He only knew about the Duel Monsters of his time, none of which were considered gods.  
  
~I'm sorry. This must be very confusing for you. I can show you more about my past with Yugi , but . . .~  
  
+But what?+ He was becoming slightly more determined.  
  
~I need the Millennium Tauk (Necklace).~  
  
* * *  
  
Ryou was somehow compelled to the point where he was waiting in a line to purchase airline tickets, without the slightest idea why.  
  
"Coach or First Class?" the cashier asked.  
  
Ryou, not aware of why he was there, found himself pulling a credit card from his pocket. It belonged to his father, but he had borrowed it without asking. Not that he was that kind of person, but he felt as though he was hypnotized or something.  
  
The evil spirit took over. "First class."  
  
* * *  
  
"Dad, why is it that we came all this way to see this?" Kyle asked his father as they were headed for their hotel.  
  
"Why?" his father repeated, chuckling a little. "Because as descendants of Seto Kaiba, I feel it is our duty to honor our family history."  
  
"Dad," Mike chimed in. "Does Yugi Moto have a museum?"  
  
Their father stopped in his tracks. "I wouldn't know. Any nemesis of Seto Kaiba is a nemesis of ours."  
  
"But Dad . . ." Kyle protested.  
  
"It's part of our family honor. Just because we live in America, doesn't mean that we should forget the honor that comes from our true home land," his father said seriously.  
  
"But . . ."  
  
Kyle's father's temper flared. "If you want to find out about Yugi instead of part of our own blood, then so be it!" He walked faster, grabbing Mike by the wrist. "Once you're done seeing how foolish you are being, you can come back to our hotel and ask for your brother and me!" He and Mike walked on, until they disappeared into the distant waves of the afternoon sun.  
  
Kyle was silent for a while. Finally, he began to head back to the Kaiba Museum. "Blood or no blood, Kaiba's Blue Eyes cards are wherever Yugi Moto is. But . . . if they were rivals, then why would Kaiba trust Yugi with his best cards???"  
  
* * *  
  
Ryou was startled when he realized that he was on a plane headed to Japan.  
  
"It must be some kind of crazy dream," he said to himself. He felt his left arm throbbing. "Ow."  
  
* * *  
  
The pharaoh spirit was silent for a long time. He was thinking about Yugi. He remembered when Yugi did not trust him, holding him back in a duel against a three-headed dragon. He remembered how much power he felt when he and Yugi were summoning the legendary Black Luster Soldier. He remembered when Yugi fainted in the Shadow Realm, in a duel for his loved- ones' souls. It would never be that way again. Never again could he see his good friends, Joey, Tristan, and Téa. And he still didn't have his memories.  
  
+What Tauk?+  
  
The spirit, drowning in depression, did not say a word.  
  
Gary was thinking about the Millennium Tauk and figured that it probably had that same weird eye as his Millennium Puzzle. He began to search through his house for it.  
  
The spirit of the Puzzle kept thinking about the last memory that he had of little Yugi - when he, Malik, and Bakura were about to begin that fateful Shadow Game. He kept wondering if there was any chance that Yugi had survived the assault, but he knew that he'd never know. Even if he did, Yugi was not with him now, and this was something that the spirit had to accept. Only with Gary's help could he move on . . .  
  
(To be continued.) 


	4. Duelist Graveyard

~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts + . . . + = Gary's thoughts  
  
Day became night. Gary had searched around of this so-called Millennium Tauk but with no luck. He was about to go to bed when he told the spirit:  
  
+I'm sorry. I couldn't find it. But I will keep looking, I promise.+  
  
~It could be far away . . . It's a shame . . . and I feel powerless in helping you.~  
  
+Forget about that. I want to help somebody out, for once. It's not often when people feel they can depend on me.+  
  
~And I'm sure you'll do fine, Gary. Now get some rest.~  
  
+Thanks . . . uh, do you have a name?+  
  
The spirit paused. ~Well, Yugi used to call me either Spirit or Yami.~  
  
+Yami? All right, Yami. Good night.+  
  
* * *  
  
The Kaiba Museum was closed for the day. Kyle had been there for quite a long while, asking the guides for information on Yugi Moto. He wanted to go back to the hotel for a nap, but he remembered what his father had said.  
  
"I can take care of myself for now," Kyle reassured himself. He wandered about the nearby city, which was desolate. It was called Domino. He walked until he actually found one place that was still open: a game shop.  
  
The shop looked old, but Kyle wanted to see if there were any rare cards there.  
  
"This MUST be a good shop if it's still open after who knows when," Kyle told himself. He opened the door.  
  
"Seto Kaiba?!" asked a voice with a heavy Japanese accent.  
  
Kyle shook his head violently. "No, I'm not Seto Kaiba."  
  
"Well, you sure look like him. You must be related to him somehow."  
  
"And who might YOU be?"  
  
"I am Yujo Moto."  
  
Kyle paused for a moment. "Did you say Yugi Moto?"  
  
The man shook his head. "Yujo's the name. It's a Japanese word for 'friendship.'"  
  
"Oh," Kyle said, a little disappointed. "If your last name is Moto, then you MUST be related to the legendary Yugi."  
  
The man nodded. "Yes, one of the few living people with some of his great blood," he said proudly.  
  
"Then do you know of the location of his grave?"  
  
Yujo widened his eyes. "Why would you want to know THAT?"  
  
"Well, I want to see if I can connect my family line to his."  
  
The man smiled and looked at his watch. "Well, no customers have been coming for the last hour, so I have some time. I can take you there right now, if you'd like. It's not too far away from here, actually. For generations, my family has watched over his gravesite often. Yugi was buried in a remote place because he had lived a life and died a death of such turmoil that his friends wanted him to rest in full peace."  
  
Kyle nodded slowly. "How did he die?"  
  
"Nobody knows," Yujo said. "It was very tragic, though." He and Kyle walked out of the shop. "So we go?"  
  
Kyle smiled and nodded eagerly.  
  
"Okay then. Still, I find it very strange that future Kaibas would want to know about Seto's past rival."  
  
* * *  
  
The evil spirit of Ryou's Millennium Ring emerged just long enough to walk from the airport to the subway station, which wasn't too far away.  
  
"It won't be long until I find those cards," the spirit snickered. "Then, I shall possess the pharaoh's memories and be able to wield the seven Millennium items!" He laughed manically, scaring some other tourists, waiting for a subway to come by.  
  
"Americans," one of the other tourists snickered.  
  
* * *  
  
Morning. Gary tried to turn over in his bed, but he had forgotten to take off the Puzzle, and it kept him from doing so.  
  
~The god cards . . .they are in danger.~  
  
"Huh?" Gary said aloud. That thought had awakened him. "What cards what?" He was still fuzzy from sleep.  
  
~I sense that somebody is after the god cards, although I'm not exactly sure where they are . . . perhaps, in my homeland of the rising sun . . .~ Yami snarled.  
  
+ No! We can't let this happen! I promised you . . . My mom is still asleep . . .+  
  
~Gary . . . ~  
  
Gary leapt out of his bed, pulled some things from beneath his bed and drawers, and headed out of his room.  
  
~What are you doing?!~  
  
+We're going to Japan!+  
  
* * *  
  
Kyle and Yujo had reached the gravesite. They spent a few hours talking about the Duel Monsters of the year 2000 and now. Yujo explained that more powerful cards existed in the first version of the game. Kyle admitted that he wasn't much into dueling. He only watched his brother play, although he occasionally liked to get a hold a rare cards.  
  
As night fell, Yujo told Kyle everything he knew about the Blue Eyes White Dragon cards, one of the most powerful cards of the Ancient Duel Monsters and Seto Kaiba's trademark card. He explained that although they were the mightiest of beasts, Yugi was able to beat it with less powerful cards, such as the fabled Dark Magician. Very few Dark Magician cards remained in the world presently.  
  
Yujo told Kyle that he had to return to his card shop, but Kyle asked if he could stay at the site just a little while longer. Before he left, he took a card out of his pocket and gave it to Kyle.  
  
"I never had a use for this," Yujo said. "It's been passed down for centuries, but I have nobody to pass it down to. I want you to have it."  
  
Kyle carefully put the card away, not knowing anything about it. He couldn't even read it.  
  
After Yujo left, Kyle bent over and carefully inspected the tombstone. According to it, Yugi had died at the age of 16. Under his dates of life, there was an inscription that said, "Here lies an eternal duelist - the greatest of our time and forevermore."  
  
Kyle lightly ran his fingers over the words. "How could he have died so young?" He could have done so many things . . ." Sleepy and teary, he fell to his knees. He had forgotten all about the Blue Eyes cards, but then he saw a very thin slat on the right side of the marker. Sure enough, when he found a twig to remove the contents of the slat, three Blue Eyes White Dragon cards were produced.  
  
"They're . . . real . . ."  
  
* * *  
  
The evil spirit of Ryou's Ring had stopped in three cemeteries, but with no luck in locating the cards he wanted.  
  
"Yugi Moto must be buried around here somewhere. The cards MUST be with him. Such a famous person must be in a large cemetery," he said, heading for the nearest subway station. "Next stop is the heart of Domino City." He laughed sinisterly.  
  
* * *  
  
The following had happened a few hours before.  
  
+The bus that goes to the airport is just down the way.+ Gary was running down his street with two briefcases in his hands.  
  
~What? How can you afford to go?~  
  
Gary smiled, swinging his luggage, running strangely. +Don't sweat it. There's a thing here called Frequent Flier Miles. They come with my breakfast cereal . . Don't worry! We'll get your cards!+  
  
~But your family . . .~  
  
+ . . . Won't notice. My mom'll think I'm dealing with grief or something, which I was. But . . . now I see that the best way to deal with it is to move on and live something special! I have to show my father that he's raised an able son!+  
  
Gary's perseverance reminded Yami greatly of Yugi.  
  
(To be continued.) 


	5. Through the Ages

~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts + . . . + = Gary's thoughts  
  
Kyle crept into the hotel that his brother (Mike) and father were staying in, with the three Blue Eyes cards and Yujo's ultra-rare card in his pocket.  
  
"Excuse me," he said slowly to a lady at the counter. "May I please have the room number of William K. Cooper?"  
  
"William Kaiba Cooper?" repeated the lady, in a heavy Japanese accent. "Sure." She gave Kyle the number, and he quietly rushed to the door and knocked. Mike opened the door. Their father was still asleep.  
  
All Kyle told his brother was, "I think I've had enough rebellion today."  
  
* * *  
  
Ryou overcame his evil spirit.  
  
"What am I doin' here?" He looked around in the dark, knowing that he was still in Japan, standing near a subway station. He checked his pockets. No money. So he turned around to walk. "I remember this place. It's not far off from where I first got my Millennium Ring. But . . . " He yawned. "Better get some rest." With nowhere else to go, he went to a park next door to one of the cemeteries that the evil spirit had already checked for those god cards. On one of the benches, Ryou fell asleep.  
  
* * *  
  
As the new day came, Gary had arrived from America. He was quite hungry. He had some US dollars on hand, but that wasn't going to buy him anything there.  
  
Something from inside of one of his suitcases was glowing. "I hope it's food," Gary said aloud, drooling. He unzipped the thing and found that the shoebox in which the Millennium Puzzle came in was the thing causing the glow.  
  
~Hmm?~  
  
Gary opened the box, where another small box lay. He had never opened it before, as to not spark painful memories of his dead father. Finally, he mustered up the courage to open it.  
  
Sure enough, the Millennium Necklace was inside, glowing insanely brightly.  
  
~Why, I don't believe it! The Necklace!~  
  
Gary held it in his hand, and soon, he saw an image . . . * * * Image* * *  
  
Yugi Moto and a tall boy in a green sweater were standing on the side of a boat. Then, a pretty, blond girl walked up and addressed Yugi. Gary distinctly heard her say, "You know, you're famous."  
  
Yugi looked humbled. "Uh, thanks very much . . .I think."  
  
* * *End image* * *  
  
The image faded.  
  
+What was that?!+ Gary's eyes widened.  
  
~An image of the past.~ Yami was sad. ~That Millennium Necklace has shown us the past . . .~  
  
Gary put the Necklace in his pocket and began to walk on. He noticed the Kaiba Museum ahead, but he was shocked when he saw his classmate, Kyle Cooper, across the street!  
  
* * *  
  
Ryou woke up and almost tripped in shock. "Wh-what is that?!" A pretty deep hole was just a few feet away from the bench he had slept on, covered by a few, thin wooden boards. He hadn't seen it before because it had been dark when he came to that park last night. "What IS this crazy hole?! I almost fell in!" He bent down to try to make the boards more secure across the hole's diameter. However, something caught his eye, causing the evil spirit to take over him once more.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hi, Kyle!" Gary yelled from across the street.  
  
"Gary!" Kyle shouted back.  
  
Gary crossed the street. "What a small world," he said, laughing a little. "What are you doing? Checking on the Kaiba Museum?"  
  
Kyle nodded.  
  
Without warning, Yami overtook Gary.  
  
+What are you doing?!+  
  
Yami narrowed his eyes. ~I sense one of the god cards nearby.~  
  
+You do?!+  
  
~Mmm. Could it be that this boy has one?~  
  
+Kyle? No way! He doesn't even play the game!+  
  
"Listen . . . Kyle," said Yami. "Do you know of any rare cards?" He failed miserably in sounding casual.  
  
Kyle looked stunned. "Is he after those Blue Eyes cards?" he asked himself quietly.  
  
"Blue Eyes White Dragon?!" Yami had overheard.  
  
+What's THAT card?+  
  
Kyle pulled is Duel Monsters deck from his pocket, but in his haste, he dropped it. Yami caught a glimpse of the three dragons and a god card - Obelisk!  
  
Kyle saw the look on Yami's face as he bent down to help him pick them up. Kyle stopped him from helping.  
  
"These cards are mine!" Kyle insisted, quickly picking up his deck.  
  
"One of those cards . . . I don't know how to say this . . . but one of those cards is extremely important to me . . ." Yami began.  
  
Kyle suddenly had a determined look on his face. His jacket flared out from behind. "If it's so important to you, maybe it's worth a duel!" He shuffled his deck.  
  
"Duel?!" Yami's pupils went to the centers of his eyes.  
  
~I thought he didn't duel!~  
  
+He doesn't . . . this is so unlike him.+  
  
~Could it be?~ Yami thought for a bit. ~Maybe the Blue Eyes White Dragon cards have influenced him in a way to act like the cards' previous owner.~  
  
+Previous owner?+  
  
"I accept your challenge." Yami took off his jacket and wore it as a cape.  
  
~I sense that Kaiba's fighting spirit has lasted through the ages.~  
  
(To be continued) 


	6. Stairway to Hell

~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts + . . . + = Gary's thoughts  
  
+ Kaiba? Who's that?+  
  
~I'll explain later.~  
  
"So what are the stakes here?" Yami asked, crossing his arms.  
  
Kyle looked at the ground. "We're not dueling HERE," he said. He began to head towards the Kaiba Museum. Yami followed. It was too early for there to be a line. Kyle and Yami walked through the metal detectors and headed toward a door with a velvet rope in front of it. Disregarding it, Kyle stepped over and simply opened the door.  
  
It felt as though Kyle and Yami were right at home, for they had stepped into Kaiba's old dueling arena. Both of them seemed to know exactly what was going on - except Gary, that is. The Millennium Necklace (Tauk) glowed again at that moment, so Yami clutched it with his hand still in his pocket, as to keep Kyle from seeing it glow. An image appeared in his mind.  
  
* * *Image* * *  
  
Yami was there, in that very stadium, smiling, drawing a card from his Duel Monsters deck. In front of him were what appeared to be real Duel Monsters! Three awesome dragons were on the field opposite to his. "My grandfather's deck HAS no pathetic cards, Kaiba," he said, "but it does contain - the unstoppable Exodia!"  
  
A guy who looked like a more mature version of Kyle looked stunned. "Ah! It's not possible! No one has ever called him!"  
  
A huge, ancient-looking beast popped out of the arena floor. "Exodia . . ." said Yami, ". . . . obliterate!!" A brilliant blast came from the beast, and the three dragons disappeared.  
  
The image faded.  
  
* * *End image* * *  
  
Yami's eyes widened.  
  
+What's Exodia?+  
  
~There is no time for that now. But one of the people in that memory was me. The other was - Seto Kaiba!~  
  
+Seto Kaiba? Like the museum?+  
  
Kyle was somehow able to get the stadium working, pushing buttons, typing in codes, pulling switches. It was the first time that thing had been used in a millennia. The duel commenced. Although Kyle carried a Duel Monsters deck around, he had never used it before. It was a collection of cards that he was trying to construct a deck with to give to his brother, Mike.  
  
"Duel!" Kyle and Yami yelled.  
  
* * *  
  
The evil spirit of Ryou's Millennium Ring saw a shiny object deep in that deep hole in the park, but it was too deep to even climb down. It looked about twice as deep as his own height, and he'd have no way of getting out once he got down there. He began to drag the wooden boards to try to create a ramp that led straight into the hole.  
  
Nobody in Japan knew where the hole had come from, but one theory was that it was caused by a meteor. But the evil spirit knew better. He was laughing manically, as he was preparing what he considered a stairway to Hell.  
  
* * *  
  
Yami was using Gary's dueling deck. Since his turn came first, he threw down the Beaver Warrior in Attack Mode.  
  
~At least I still know what these cards are.~  
  
"You never declared the stakes of this duel," Yami pointed out before ending his turn.  
  
Kyle nodded firmly. "I will definitely win, so I wager that cryptic card you said meant so much to you. A friend gave it to me, but it's not like I will lose it."  
  
Yami nodded. "And if YOU win?"  
  
Kyle thought about this for a moment. "I become World Champ."  
  
+World Champ? But I only won regionally at the tournament!+  
  
~It's the heart of his ancestor speaking.~  
  
"Kyle," Yami said firmly, "you may not realize it, but you are dueling me with the blood of Seto Kaiba guiding you. That is why you ask for such ridiculous stakes."  
  
Kyle smiled. "How do you know about Seto Kaiba? Looked around the museum? Either way, I'll crush you the way Seto Kaiba failed to crush Yugi Moto!"  
  
Gary was stunned. +What do Kyle and Seto Kaiba have to do with Yugi?!+  
  
~Kaiba and I had EVERYTHING to do with each other. Destiny has forced us to duel once more!~  
  
Kyle threw down a Hitosu-mi Giant and destroyed Yami's Beaver Warrior.  
  
+Real monsters! Like the vision! But how . . .?+  
  
~This was the Duel Monsters of Yugi's day.~  
  
* * *  
  
While walking down the new ramp he made, it broke. The evil spirit fell the rest of the way down into that deep, deep hole.  
  
"Ow!" he yelled. He looked at the ground. Although it was pitch black, he still saw that shiny object lying next to him. He picked it up. It glistened.  
  
"Ah," he said. "The Millennium Eye! I thought I'd never see this again! But now . . . it has returned to me!!" He laughed sinisterly, deep in that hold with no way out.  
  
* * *  
  
"Gr!" Yami snarled. "I can't let you win!" Yami layed a card face- down and summoned Gary's rarest card, which he was surprised to see - the Dark Magician!  
  
Gary had received that card upon winning the Upper Deck tournament, along with that trophy that looked like the Millennium Puzzle. This was the first time Gary had seen it in action, not to mention as a real monster!  
  
The Dark Magician easily destroyed the Giant, and Kyle looked upset. He then drew his next card and began to laugh insanely. "My Giant will be avenged, Gary! Behold!"  
  
The legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon ascended from a swirl of glitter.  
  
It was at this time that two museum guards had discovered what was going on and barged into the room.  
  
Yami and Kyle looked at the open doors with the two men in front of them. "Nobody is allowed in this room!" one of them shouted.  
  
(To be continued) 


	7. The Heart of the Cards?

~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts + . . . + = Gary's thoughts  
  
As tempted as Yami was to use magic on the men for interrupting this too important duel, he kept his banishing palm to himself.  
  
"This is historic ground," one of them said. He then noticed the hologram monsters on the field. "W-what are those??? It's unreal . . ."  
  
"It's a hologram," a voice from behind the man said. An old man, one of the museum managers and a former historian himself, walked in. He applauded. "The Kaiba holograms," he said. "Technology is so backward these days. Impressive that you were able to make this very old thing work."  
  
"But sir -" one of the guards began.  
  
"Uh-uh - we're going to watch this," the old man said. "I'd like to finally see this Ancient stadium in action!" He rubbed his hands together. "Continue!"  
  
* * *  
  
The spirit of the Ring was looking intently at the Millennium Eye in the dark, when suddenly, he felt a rope dangling in front of his face.  
  
"What is this imbecilic thing?!" he yelled.  
  
"Grab a hold!" a female voice yelled from up above.  
  
The spirit grabbed on, but when the person at the other end pulled, the rope snapped (it was quite a shoddy rope), causing him to fall once more.  
  
"Ow!" He pressed his hands onto the floor to push himself back up, but he felt something under his right hand . . .  
  
"Are you okay?" the female voice asked.  
  
"I'm fine," said the spirit. He laughed sinisterly as he grabbed a hold of the rope.  
  
* * *  
  
"White Lightening!" Kyle yelled, smiling.  
  
"Not so fast," Yami said, flipping over his face-down card. "Mirror Force!" Kyle's attack was reflected right back at him.  
  
"Argh!" Kyle screamed as his Blue Eyes disappeared. Half of the dragon's Life Points were deducted from his score, making it 500.  
  
Yami smiled slyly. "Your dragon is vanquished."  
  
Kyle drew a card. "Maybe," he said, putting a card face-down, "but not for long!" The card he had drawn was his second Blue Eyes, incredibly enough. It was now on the field, in Attack mode.  
  
"Gr," Yami snarled.  
  
+What are the chances of THAT?+  
  
~You don't know Seto Kaiba. He had that kind of draw all the time. Perhaps it is the Heart of the Cards at work.~  
  
+Cards have a heart? Hmm. Call it what you want, but I consider it a stroke of freakish luck!+  
  
Yami had 1500 Life Points remaining, while Kyle only had 500. The pharaoh spirit drew a card and frowned. For his move, he put a monster face-down in Defense mode.  
  
Kyle laughed manically. "That won't help you!" he cried, flipping over his down card. It was Stop Defense! Yami's monster, Swordstalker, was now in Attack mode!  
  
"Amazing!" said the old man. "According to my research, it is rumored that similar battles had taken place 1000 years ago between Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto - with these dragons in action, as well as the Dark Magician! Now I know for a fact that they did indeed occur - History truly repeats itself!" He rubbed his hands together again.  
  
The Blue Eyes destroyed Yami's beast, dragging his Life Points down to 500, to bring the duel to a tie.  
  
Yami thought back to his past duels with Seto Kaiba and the Blue Eyes White Dragon cards and began to sweat. He didn't even know Gary's cards! What could he really do??  
  
~I must win this duel! For my memories . . . but . . .~  
  
Kyle interrupted his thoughts. "You should have never agreed to duel me, Gary!" he said. "I'm about to embarrass you once and for all!"  
  
The old man's eyes widened.  
  
* * *  
  
Ryou had come out again when he finally got out of the hole.  
  
"Are you hurt?"  
  
"Naw, I'm fine," Ryou shook his head and clutched his arm. "Thanks to you." He finally extended his arm to shake hands with the woman that helped him out. "What is your name?"  
  
The woman shook his hand. She tossed her blonde hair back. "The name's May." She coiled the rope back up and put it around her shoulder. She then turned around and started to walk away. "It is nice to meet you," she said, still walking, not looking back. "I am positive that we will be meeting again." She laughed a little. "Nice Ring, by the way."  
  
As she was almost out of view, Ryou noticed that she had a holster- type thing on her right side, with a shiny rod-like thing inside of it. His eyes widened, as he had been wearing his Millennium Ring UNDERNEATH his T-shirt and jacket.  
  
"How did she know??"  
  
(To be continued) 


	8. The Intersection of Two Best Friends

~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts + . . . + = Gary's thoughts  
  
Gary emerged to finish the duel.  
  
+I know my deck. There's no time for you to learn to use it. Besides, I can show you my stuff!+  
  
Gary threw down a magic card, Pot of Greed, to allow him to draw two cards from his deck.  
  
"Okay, Kyle . . . watch me bust a move!" he yelled, quickly throwing down his next card, Monster Reborn. "Be reborn, Blue Eyes White Dragon! And with that, I end my turn."  
  
"What good is that?" Kyle wondered aloud. "Their attacks are both 3000." He drew his card. "Ah hah!" He laughed, lightly placing a card on the field - Blue Eyes White Dragon number three! "I'll end my turn, but if I draw one of my three Monster Reborn cards next turn, I'll combine these dragons to assault you!"  
  
"Oh no!" Gary said to himself. "How can I tip things into my favor???"  
  
~Believe in the Heart of the Cards.~  
  
"Eh?" Gary drew a card. "No way!" he shouted in disbelief. He threw down a Shadow Spell, which lowered the attack of one of his Blue Eyes by 700 points! Gary was elated, for he knew he was about to win the duel. "Blue Eyes . . . attack!"  
  
A brilliant glow blinded everyone in the room, but when it cleared, they all saw that Kyle's Life Points had fallen to zero.  
  
Kyle rubbed his temples. "Huh, what have I done?" He stepped off his platform and walked up to Gary. He shook his head. "I don't know what came over me, but I'm very glad you won." He pulled something from his deck and gave it to Gary. "I hope this will make up for the trouble I've caused. I am so sorry."  
  
The old man walked up to Kyle. He got down on his knees. "May I please have those Blue Eyes cards for the museum??" he begged. "They will add great value to the visitors here."  
  
Kyle nodded and handed him the cards. "I think those dragons made me somehow relentless, like Seto Kaiba himself. They made me feel . . . that I was him, trying to defeat his great nemesis, Yugi Moto." He kind of chuckled. "Stupid, I know."  
  
"You're not so far off," Gary said, putting the card away. They each went their separate ways.  
  
On the way out, Gary took a moment to stare at a large portrait of Seto Kaiba that was on the right side of the exit.  
  
~You did it! Obelisk is ours!~  
  
* * *  
  
"Argh," Ryou said. "I have such a freaking headache! Why is it that I can't remember where I am or what I am doin'??" He felt something protruding in his pocket and took it out. "W-what's this?!" It was the Millennium Eye. He looked at it for a while. "Where'd I get this from?" He was about to throw it in the pit, but his eye caught something else - he saw his best friend headed in his direction!  
  
"Ryou! Buddy!!" Gary called to his best friend. "What are you doing all the way here? It's been quite strange . . . I saw Kyle here, too!"  
  
Ryou scratched his head and quickly put the Eye back in his pocket, afraid that Gary would think that he had stolen it. "Just came to, err, revisit my home country."  
  
"You wouldn't believe the stuff that's happened since we've last seen each other," Gary began. "I'll tell you over some green tea ice cream or something - my treat - as soon as I do a little currency switch . . . That cemetery next door is creepin' me out."  
  
"What's happened, Gary?" Ryou wondered as they walked away from the hole.  
  
"Well," said Gary, "I've been, err, split in half, in a way." He chuckled. "You probably wouldn't understand, buddy."  
  
Ryou looked at his bandages on his arm. "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure, pal."  
  
As they were leaving the park, they were stopped by a young woman.  
  
* * *  
  
Kyle lingered in front of the Kaiba Museum for a while, sorting through his thoughts.  
  
"Why did I duel him?" Hmmm . . . I don't even LIKE to duel . . . Unless . . . Gary was right . . . nah! How could a few measly cards bring Seto Kaiba back to life through ME?" He shook his head. "I'm GLAD that I got rid of those Blue Eyes cards, but now I'm even more curious then ever as to why Kaiba left them with Yugi. If he dueled Yugi like the way I dueled Gary today, it seems like there'd be no logical reason. But then again, I don't know much about Yugi, except that he was Kaiba's rival. And that picture of him at the Upper Deck tournament . . . the slideshow . . . looked like - Gary! Not so much the eyes, but that unmistakable hair! Does Yugi's spirit live inside of him they way Kaiba's was in me?" His eyes widened. He decided to rush back to Yugi's grave site for some answers.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hello, boys," the blonde woman said, winking.  
  
"It-it's you!" Ryou said, turning back around in fear.  
  
"Who?" Gary asked.  
  
"May," she said, shaking Gary's hand. "I am training to be a firefighter, and I often work with tourists like you." Her eyes met with the Millennium Puzzle. "VERY nice to meet you, uh -"  
  
"Gary."  
  
+She looks like . . . the girl in that vision of the past . . . on the boat . . .+  
  
~Mai.~ was all Yami replied with.  
  
Ryou pulled Gary aside. "I don't think it's a good idea to talk to her," he whispered to Gary.  
  
"I had that same feeling," Gary whispered back, recalling the vision from the Millennium Necklace.  
  
"I have an idea - let's tell her that we have to go home," Ryou suggested.  
  
"We don't even live here, and she knows it!" Gary repsonded.  
  
May interrupted. "What's all this conference about, boys? You don't think you can trust me? Aww, I'm harmless! After all, I did save you from that crater right there." She started to walk near it.  
  
Gary caught a glimpse of a rod from the holster on May's right said and followed her to get a closer look. Ryou followed right behind him.  
  
When they returned to the giant hole, the Millennium Necklace glowed a little. Gary noticed it, preparing himself for another vision of the past. Yami, on the other hand, was thinking about the great surge of power he had been feeling since Gary had arrived in the park.  
  
Meanwhile, Ryou's Ring flashed very briefly, and he suddenly got a weird look in his eye . . .  
  
(To be continued.) 


	9. Return of the Shadow Games

~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts + . . . + = Gary's thoughts  
  
A man and a boy suddenly zipped past Ryou, Gary, and May, almost falling into the giant, dark crater. He stopped and turned around. The boy did the same.  
  
"I am so sorry," the man said. "I was after my son . . . I thought I saw him run through this park . . ."  
  
Gary recognized the man as Kyle's father and the boy as his brother, Mike. However, neither of them recognized Ryou or Gary.  
  
"That's okay," said Gary, smiling. "I hope you find him soon." He briefly remembered his recent duel with Kyle.  
  
As Kyle's father and brother were dashing on, Gary heard Mike say, "I'm POSITIVE, dad. He told me that he had enough of his rebellion - this Yugi business."  
  
"If that's true," his father said with a short breath, "then why did he run from us just now?"  
  
+Where could Kyle be headed off to? Why would HE want anything to do with Yugi? He's been acting so weird today . . .+  
  
Gary looked at May and Ryou, who had his eyes closed and his hands cupping his Millennium Ring, which had somehow passed through his clothing! The sky was become dark, and Gary clutched the Necklace in his pocket because it was shining very obviously by now. He closed his eyes . . .  
  
* * *Image* * *  
  
"Yugi!" cried the white-haired, evil-looking person that Gary had seen in his previous dream. "It's time!"  
  
Yugi fell to his knees and tried to assemble the broken Millennium Puzzle, but the cloaked figure from before threw down a rod into the ground, almost hitting Yugi's little hand.  
  
"Without that other spirit with you, you are vulnerable to any Shadow Game we play!" the white-haired person yelled.  
  
"Bakura, please!" Yugi pleaded.  
  
"Let the Shadow Game begin!" cried the cloaked figure.  
  
Yugi, already feeling weak due to the nature of the Shadow Realm, knew he could not beat Bakura and the other person, who he had previously called Malik.  
  
Bakura and Malik stated that the Shadow Game would involve Duel Monsters cards. Each player would draw a card from his deck. The person with the card with the highest Attack points would win - that is, gain possession of the Millennium items of the two losers.  
  
Bakura was the first to draw. He pulled a card and frowned. He had pulled the weak Man-Eater Bug. "Blasted bug!" he cried in despair, knowing that he had already lost.  
  
Malik reached for his own deck. He pulled out a monster that Yugi could not identify in all his dizziness. All he knew was that its Attack was at a strong 2000.  
  
Yugi's hand was trembling as he weakly drew from his deck. "I have many cards in my deck that can -" he began. But before he could lift the top card, Malik brushed his Millennium Rod at the deck, causing the top card to flutter down to the ground. Too weak to pick it up, Yugi just drew the next card, which was the Female Dark Magician, with an Attack at 2000 as well.  
  
The tie was to be broken by a second draw, but by then, Yugi was too weak to even stand. He fell to his knees again, with deck still in hand. He drew the Dark Magician (2500).  
  
Malik drew his next card and laughed like no mortal could ever laugh. He showed his card to Bakura and Yugi. It was his god card, God of Ra.  
  
Yugi's eyes widened fiercely. He could not let Malik use the Millennium items to destroy the world! While Malik removed the Millennium Ring from Bakura's neck (Bakura called him a traitor just then), Yugi gathered up his last strength. He bent down, swung his leg, and tripped Malik.  
  
The Millennium Rod flew through the air and landed right in Malik's heart when he hit the ground. Yugi fell. The Shadow Realm proved to be fatal to him. A few seconds later, Bakura's normal half fell to his death as well. Without his Millennium Ring, which was now in the grip of the dying Malik, Bakura's normal spirit had emerged. He could not survive in the Shadow Realm on his own, either. A shiny eye fell out of his pocket.  
  
The dying Malik, as his last action, pulled the Rod from his body and used it and the Ring to try to revive himself, but in his jerky movements, it only caused a huge explosion, making a huge crater at the death site.  
  
The vision stopped.  
  
* * *End vision* * *  
  
Gary opened his eyes. They were full of tears. He felt as though he were crying for two people. Finally, the truth had been revealed - to both him AND Yami.  
  
Ryou, or what Gary thought was Ryou, still had his hands cupped around the Millennium Ring. The sky looked like the darkness of the place Yugi had fallen in his vision.  
  
"No! A Shadow Game!" he cried, trembling in fear.  
  
May laughed manically. "Just what I was hoping for!! Now, I can win your Millennium items just by playing a simple game!"  
  
Gary realized that history was repeating itself again.  
  
+No! I can't let this happen! I made a promise to Yami . . .+  
  
Yami suddenly took over. He was crying manically, tears raging from his mysterious eyes.  
  
"What's the matter, Gary?" May asked, waving the rod that she had in her holster, the Millennium Rod. Afraid to play this little game?"  
  
"No!" Yami shouted ferociously. "I refuse to risk our lives in the Shadow Realm!"  
  
The spirit of the Millennium Ring laughed. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter. I may have lost this game before, but I have a new host with a new deck, and I swear I'll take you both down this time!"  
  
May nodded. "I know about these games . . . such magical games they are. And I will win!"  
  
The spirit of the Millennium Ring pulled out Ryou's deck from his pocket, but in his haste, something fell out.  
  
Yami caught a glimpse of it before Ryou picked it up. "The God of Osiris!" he cried, thinking about his own god card.  
  
May pulled a card from her pocket as well. It was the third god card, Ra! She laughed. "I guess I have one of those cryptic cards, too! I was given this card when I was a little girl, so it means so very much to me. I guess we have EVERYTHING riding on this little game, eh? Let us begin!"  
  
"Same game as last time," Ryou's evil spirit said.  
  
"Last time?" May asked. Ryou's evil spirit explained the rules to her.  
  
Yami, however, KNEW the rules already, from the depressing vision he had had shortly before.  
  
"The same game won't have the same result!" Yami cried, taking out Gary's deck.  
  
"You're right, Gary," May said. "You'll find that things will come around in my favor now."  
  
"That lesson will cost you your existence -- again!" Ryou's spirit added. "Let the Shadow Game begin!" He reached for the top card of his deck. "And this time, I WILL win!"  
  
(To be continued.) 


	10. My Best Friend's Yami

~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts + . . . + = Gary's thoughts  
  
"Stop right there, young man!"  
  
Kyle tripped and slid across the ground. Mike had swooped down and grabbed his older brother's ankle, causing the fall.  
  
"Dad," Kyle said, getting up.  
  
Mike got up. "I'm sorry, bro', but I think we should talk."  
  
Kyle looked down at his newly-scraped arms. "I know."  
  
Their father took Kyle by the hand and began to head back to the hotel with him and Mike.  
  
"No matter what, you are still part of our family," his father said.  
  
Kyle nodded. "I know that. I just hope you know that the pasts of our family and that of Yugi Moto are somehow intertwined. I-I just wanted the full picture."  
  
"All right," his father responded. "I getcha.' Now, how about we never speak of this business ever again?"  
  
"On one condition," said Kyle. "Come and visit Yugi's gravesite with me."  
  
* * *  
  
Yami was sweating profusely as he watched Ryou's evil spirit draw his card. He was panicking so much that he saw every moment in detail - the confident glare in this evil spirit's eye, the way his fingers cupped around his deck, preparing to draw this critical card . . .  
  
"Ryou, please don't!" Yami said, closing his eyes.  
  
"Arrrggh!" Yami heard the sound of cards dropping. He once again felt warmth come down from above. He opened his eyes. They were no longer in the Shadow Realm. Ryou, who was himself again, was on his knees, trembling madly.  
  
Yami bent down. "Ryou, are you all right?" He noticed that Ryou's bandage had fallen off, and his arm was bleeding quite heavily. "Ryou!" Yami cried.  
  
May bent down and carried Ryou. "There's a free clinic down the way. Serves tourists and nontoursits alike. Come on, I'll take you boys there."  
  
Yami's eyes widened. "Why are you doing this?"  
  
May laughed. "Look, kid. I'm training to become a firefighter. It's been my dream for so long. But that doesn't mean that his Ring is safe from me. And your Puzzle, Gary. They will BOTH be mine, eventually." She lifted Ryou up on her shoulders.  
  
Yami and May walked together to the clinic.  
  
* * *  
  
"There it is," said Kyle, pointing.  
  
"Uhh-huhhh . . ." Kyle's father said, scratching his head. "Uh, well, son. This IS an interesting tombstone . . . both English and Japanese on it . . . wonderful." He paused. "I know of a tombstone like that. Oh, could it be . . . Seto Kaiba's?"  
  
Kyle was upset. "Quit your sarcasm!" He showed his brother and father the slat in which he found the Blue Eyes cards. "I found Kaiba's most treasured cards - right in here!"  
  
Mike rolled his eyes. "Big brother, give me a break! Are you saying that you found Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon cards HERE?!"  
  
Kyle nodded, blushing. Since he no longer had the cards, he couldn't prove it. He felt the new scrapes on his arms sting just a little more.  
  
* * *  
  
A nurse asked Yami too many questions - the nature of Ryou's wound, how long he had had it, what kind of bandage was used, and why it fell off. He tried his best to recall but could not. He enlisted Gary for help, so Gary emerged to answer the questions about his best friend's wound.  
  
Ryou was admitted, and as Gary went to sit down in the waiting room, he realized that May was gone!  
  
+Oh, no! Where did that sneak go?+  
  
No answer from Yami.  
  
+Yami?+  
  
After a few seconds, Yami responded. ~I'm sorry. I was just thinking . . .~  
  
+About -+  
  
~Yes. I find it harder to go on, knowing the suffering that Yugi went through. And . . . that Shadow Game . . . I played a game like that just a few days ago . . .~  
  
+You did?! Yami . . .+  
  
~It doesn't matter. I - I cannot believe hs young soul perished in that very park we were in.~  
  
Gary looked solemn. +Yami, please don't blame yourself for what happened. Please. Just remember that the same thing was going to happen today, but it didn't.+  
  
~Yes. Ryou did a courageous act, fighting off his evil spirit. I hope he will be all right.~  
  
+Yugi's last act was just as courageous. You probably had something to do with it, even though you couldn't reach him. And . . . if you want to hink of it another way, I bet Yugi's spirit is with you right now, as well.+  
  
Just then, the nurse returned with Ryou next to her.  
  
"How is he?" Gary asked.  
  
"He is fine," said the nurse, showing Gary the new bandage she had put on Ryou's arm. "He might be a little faint for a few hours, though." She then went back to take care of another patient.  
  
"Gary," said Ryou, with a very serious look in his eyes. "I - I want you to have these two things." He took out the Millennium Eye and his God of Osiris card. "I don't know where I got these, and I don't WANT to know. It's kinda like my arm thing."  
  
As Gary was about to grab the items, Ryou suddenly pulled them away from him.  
  
"I - I can't control my arms!" Ryou exclaimed in horror.  
  
~As long as it's there, his evil spirit won't allow him to get rid of those items.~  
  
+I can't believe my best buddy has a spirit - but - evil - unlike you. If he can't even get rid of a few things, how is he going to live normally? He'll have gashes all the time and end up in weird places without knowing how he got there. Yami, how can I help my best friend.???+  
  
(To be continued) 


	11. Admiration

~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts + . . . + = Gary's thoughts  
  
Ryou and Gary walked off from the clinic together. Ryou's pupils were in the centers of his eyes still, wondering why his own arms were resisting his desire to rid of the Millennium Eye and the god card. For a long time, they were silent.  
  
Finally, Gary said, "This is a weird concept, but your Millennium Ring is controlling you."  
  
"Really, buddy?" Ryou asked. "How do you know?"  
  
Gary was about to tell him about Yami, but they both suddenly saw Kyle and his brother and father crowded around something.  
  
"I see that they found Kyle," commented Ryou.  
  
"Wonder what they're looking at. It looks like some really old lot to me," Gary said. They approached the three Kaiba descendants.  
  
Suddenly, Gary's Millennium Puzzle flashed. Yami had emerged, and he fell to his knees beside the object of attention - Yugi's tombstone . . .  
  
"Yugi!" he shouted, arms around the cold block.  
  
Ryou looked down at his Millennium Ring and asked, "What's going on?"  
  
"I get it," said Kyle. "Gary is connected with Yugi somehow. Generations, maybe. I realized that after our duel."  
  
"You duel?" Mike wondered.  
  
Yami began to cry again. "Yugi . . . I never got to tell you how proud I have always been of you . . ."  
  
"He can't even hear you," a voice from behind said.  
  
"What? Who are YOU?" Kyle asked.  
  
"Gary, watch out! It's May again!" Ryou exclaimed, hiding behind Kyle's father and brother.  
  
May pointed her Millennium Rod at Kyle's father. He went slightly limp and began to dance a weird-looking dance.  
  
"Dad!" Mike yelled. "Dad! What has gotten into you?!"  
  
+Is she somehow controlling him?+  
  
"I told you," said May. "I'll get what I want no matter what. Once I have your items, I can sell them for a fortune! Or better yet, I can rule the world!"  
  
Yami stood up. "Why rule the world? You told me what your TRUE dreams are."  
  
"Dreams, shmreams," May said. "I can reach them and beyond once I'm done with you two."  
  
"But that's not the way," Ryou chimed in.  
  
Kyle's dad was still dancing. Kyle, after trying to hold him down, said, "You're twisted! What are you talking about?!"  
  
May pointed the Rod at his father again, returning him to normal. "Nothing for YOU to know, fool!"  
  
Yami noticed a glowing from his pocket. He took out the Millennium Necklace and clutched it in his hand.  
  
"Another item for me to get my hands on!" May squealed upon seeing it.  
  
But suddenly, the sky was foggy. The Millennium Necklace shone brightly - so brightly that it, for a moment, blinded everyone there. Then, they all saw the same thing . . .  
  
* * *Image begin* * *  
  
"We are gathered here today," said a man in a black suit, "to honor the lives of two young boys. Both died mysterious deaths - tragic, mysterious deaths. But now, they shall rest in peace." He paused and looked to his left. A coffin with a picture of Bakura's normal self on top was there. He looked to the right. A coffin with a picture of little Yugi on top was there. "And now, a few words from Yugi's best friend, Joey Wheeler."  
  
A blonde boy walked in front of the crowd. He was in a black street jacket. He began to cry a little. "Bakura and Yugi were two people that I really cared about. I curse Malik for causing their deaths!!! I know there ain't proof, but he was ALWAYS out to get my little buddy." He sobbed.  
  
A girl and a triangle-haired boy walked up to join Joey.  
  
The triangle-haired boy was carrying a small box. He opened it and showed the crowd four items: the Millennium Ring, the Millennium Rod, the Millennium Necklace, and pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. "My name is Tristan Taylor." He paused. "This is all we found in that massive hole where the tragedy happened. We knew that these things had powers, but we never could have imagined something like this." He closed his eyes and closed the box. "Let's just hope that these powers are never used again. And from now on, that crater in the park should be a reminder of the corruption that comes with power."  
  
Joey, the girl, and Tristan went back to their seats. Before Tristan got to his, though, he handed the box to Yugi's grandpa, who was staring blankly ahead.  
  
"And now a few words from Mai Valentine," the suited guy said.  
  
A pretty, young, blonde woman, the one Gary had seen in the vision that involved the boat, walked up.  
  
"We honor more than the deaths of these two boys," she pointed to the coffins. "At least . . . most of you won't get it, but when Yugi Moto died, a separate spirit died with him as well. I know because . . . I was falling in love with him . . ." She paused. "I never knew of any duelist as good as little Yugi, whether it was him or the spirit that was at the arena. I admire him greatly, and in my eyes, he will live on as the King of Duelists." She laid a rose on Yugi's coffin and sat down.  
  
Suddenly, a young man sitting toward the back rose.  
  
"I would like to say something," he said. He walked up to the front of the crowd.  
  
"If you please, Mr. Kaiba," said the man in the suit.  
  
(To be continued) 


	12. The Revelation

~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts + . . . + = Gary's thoughts  
  
The man walked up to the front of the crowd. He closed his eyes.  
  
"As creator of the Duel Disk system, I am honored that Yugi Moto will be lowered into the earth with one of them," he said. He opened his eyes, directly addressing the audience. "Most of you know that Yugi and I had a great rivalry, and even though he is no longer here, to me, that rivalry has not ended." He pulled some cards out of his pocket. "For you see, after he defeated me at Battle City, I told him that he was the only duelist worth battling." He stooped down beside Yugi's tombstone, felt around, and shoved the cards in a slat. "The only person worth dueling is gone, therefore, I will never duel again. My company will no longer produce dueling equipment, and I will never have anything to do with Duel Monsters again. There is no point." He paused. "And hopefully, I will get the priviledge of dueling Yugi again someday!" He sat down.  
  
"What was Kaiba doing to Yuge's tombstone?" whispered Tristan to the girl beside him, Téa. She shrugged.  
  
The vision ended.  
  
* * *End vision* * *  
  
The evil spirit of Ryou's Millennium Ring emerged in curiousity. He walked over a few feet to a tombstone that was totally covered in moss.  
  
He used his hands to scrape away at it, until he uncovered the name of his former host. He stared at the stone in silence.  
  
Yami closed his eyes. He put his hands around the Millennium Puzzle. He didn't say anything. Many things were going through his mind. So many, that Gary could not pick up on any of them. Gary didn't know what to say, but in the corridors of his mind, he found Yami, sitting on the floor, staring blankly at the hieroglyphs on his Soul Room walls. Gary sat beside him and thought of his father.  
  
Kyle's father looked at his older son. "I was wrong," he said. "Seto really DID admire Yugi." He took both of his sons by the hand, and they all walked away - together.  
  
May tapped Yami on the shoulder. Snapped into alertness, Yami snarled.  
  
"Whoa, there, tough guy," she said. "I don't know what just happened, but I think it proves something."  
  
Yami didn't say anything.  
  
"You are not of this world," she said. "Neither is that guy." She pointed to Ryou's evil spirit, who was still looking at the grave. "My Rod sensed it before, but now I know it's really true."  
  
Yami's pupils went to the centers of his eyes.  
  
"Anyway, here," she said, handing him her God of Ra card. She lifted up her Millennium Rod, kissed it, and handed it to him as well.  
  
Yami blinked. "Thank you."  
  
"That utterly beautiful woman in that vision we just had made me realize that admiration is a powerful thing. Now, I just want to BE admired." She turned around to leave. "Besides, if that beauty from that past had her eye on you, you must be a good person." She continued to walk.  
  
"That woman," Yami called to her, "is a part of you."  
  
May turned around. "I know," she said, winking.  
  
As Yami watched her walk away until she was out of sight, the evil spirit of Ryou's Millennium Ring stepped in front of him.  
  
"Now I only have to destroy ONE person to get what I seek," he said.  
  
+Destroy?!+  
  
"Ryou, this is not right," Yami warned.  
  
The sky darkened. "Of course it isn't, but then again, neither am I."  
  
+Yami, I need to come out and try to get through to my best friend, once and for all!+  
  
A struggle from within ensued, and in the end, Gary emerged from inside.  
  
The ground began to swirl.  
  
(To be continued) 


	13. The Guardian, Idash

~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts + . . . + = Gary's thoughts  
  
Gary put his hands on the evil Ryou's shoulders and shook him violently.  
  
"Please!" he said. "You can overcome this!"  
  
The swirl in the ground grew larger. A man with a turban and robe rose from it.  
  
~Shadi!~  
  
"How dare you meddle in our business?!" hissed the evil spirit, preparing to bring Duel Monsters cards to life with his Millennium Ring.  
  
"Shadi?" Gary repeated aloud, not having a clue.  
  
The man looked at Gary. He shook his head. "My name is Idash, a descendant of Anubis, guardian of the Millennium items."  
  
"What?!" the spirit of the Ring shouted. "Stay out of this!!"  
  
Idash turned to the evil spirit, took out a shiny key (the Millennium Key), and used it to open the mind of the evil spirit.  
  
"Huh?" Gary said, suddenly seeing the evil spirit of his best friend frozen, with a key stuck a bit in the center of his forehead.  
  
* * *  
  
Idash walked through a hallway deep inside the corridors of Ryou's mind, found a room, and entered it. The evil spirit was inside in the darkness, holding his hands in front of him as to block off Idash.  
  
"I sense that you are the soul that stole the Millennium Eye from its owner a thousand years ago," he said, pointing. "Men who have possession of one Millennium item often have the urge to seek the rest of them, and you are now after the Millennium Puzzle!"  
  
"How did you get here?! Leave this place now, if you know what is good for you," the evil spirit insisted.  
  
Idash shook his head. "I won't leave until I find out who you are ad what you want from the the Millennium items."  
  
"Who am I?" the spirit said. "Why, I am a thief and a stealer of souls." Lights came on, and the room was revealed. "And I have done terrible things in my quest for the seven Millennium items."  
  
Looking around, Idash could see that it was a dank place with a pile of musty skeletons on one side and old treasure on the other, obviously stolen somehow. There were some hieroglyphs on the walls. And far down the room, Idash saw a stone door.  
  
"That door intrigues me," said Idash.  
  
The spirit blocked him. "You cannot go any further!" he yelled.  
  
Idash used some magic to make it so that the evil spirit's feet were stuck to the ground. He dashed to the door. It took all of his strength to push it aside.  
  
* * *  
  
~I remember something like this.~  
  
+What's happening to Ryou?+  
  
~The guardian of the Millennium items came into MY Soul Room once before, searching for truth.~  
  
+What truth?+  
  
~He thought I had stolen a Millennium item. I wonder what could he be searching for now . . .~  
  
* * *  
  
Ryou was inside. This room was a bright one, with models of atoms and jet planes, a pile of books, and Duel Monsters cards spread around. He looked scared.  
  
"Who ARE you?" Ryou asked, stepping back.  
  
Idash thought that is was strange that Ryou's Soul Room was WITHIN the evil spirit's Soul Room. That could only mean that the spirit had immense control over his normal counterpart.  
  
"I am Idash. I mean no harm," Idash said. "Tell me, innocent one, do you know that you are being controlled?"  
  
"Controlled?" Ryou asked. "Come to think of it, my best friend Gary DID try to tell me something about my Millennium Ring . . ."  
  
"Gary?" Idash said, thinking. "The boy wearing the Millennium Puzzle?" He paused. "Yes . . . I must speak with him next."  
  
"Huh?" Ryou said. "J - Just tell me what you want."  
  
Idash looked at the stone door. "The evil spirit that controls you must be stopped. You might be too weak to fight him on your own, but I shall help you."  
  
"Help me?"  
  
"Just trust me, boy," Idash said, leading Ryou to the door.  
  
The evil spirit had been freed of the magic and was standing on the other side.  
  
"Oh no, you don't, Ryou!" he shouted. "You will not get past me again!"  
  
Idash shook his head. "He will, indeed," he affirmed. "Now step back or I will have to take further actions."  
  
But the evil spirit did not step down, and Idash waved his hand. A Spellbinding Circle ensnared the spirit.  
  
"Quickly, boy!" Idash shouted to Ryou.  
  
Ryou emerged from his Soul Room and took over his outside body once more.  
  
* * *  
  
"Huh?!" Gary exclaimed, noticing the change. "Ryou's back!"  
  
The sky returned to normal. The imminent Shadow Game had stopped.  
  
"I want to help, Gary, but we must act quickly!"  
  
(To be continued) 


	14. Light and Darkness

~ . . . ~ = Yami's thoughts + . . . + = Gary's thoughts  
  
Ryou quickly grabbed the Millennium Eye and the God of Osiris card and shoved them to Gary, who almost dropped them because he wasn't expecting ANYTHING like that to happen.  
  
"Ryou," said Gary. "Thank you . . . so much."  
  
* * *  
  
Inside Ryou's mind, a battle was still underway.  
  
"I did it!" shouted Ryou from a distance. "Idash, I got rid of the Eye!"  
  
Idash nodded. He was occupied by the spirit of the Millennium Ring, for he had broken free from the Spellbinding Circle.  
  
"I'll ask you one last time, you fool," he said, "to leave my mind at once!"  
  
"No, thief," said Idash. "Not only do you pose a threat to the world but the innocent boy you 'share' a vessel with."  
  
"So what about the boy?" the spirit scoffed. "I only use him as a means of getting around. When I get the necessary power, I will dispose of him, anyway."  
  
Idash fumed. "My job is to punish thieves of the Millennium items, and I intend to DO that job." He clapped his hands. "Ryou!" he called. "Dispose of this tyrant!"  
  
Ryou, somewhere else in the mind, was confused. But then . . .  
  
* * *  
  
"What's this?" Gary asked, befuddled. The Millennium Ring was now resting in his left hand.  
  
~How was he able to . . . could he have overpowered the spirit again?~  
  
Idash reappeared, and the key was removed from Ryou's forehead.  
  
"Does this mean . . ." Gary began.  
  
"I'm free!" Ryou shouted, clutching his wounded arm.  
  
"But how . . ."  
  
Idash stepped in front of Gary. "With a little help, he was able to overcome his darkness."  
  
"Help?" Gary asked.  
  
"Yes," Idash continued. "But I sense that this is not the case with you."  
  
"What is he talking about, Gary?" Ryou asked. "Do you - "  
  
Gary nodded before he had a chance to finish.  
  
"You are somehow able to combine the powers of light and darkness into a force so powerful that it can overcome anything," Idash explained.  
  
+Combining light and darkness? That IS us, isn't it, Yami?+  
  
But Yami didn't answer him.  
  
+Yo, Yami??+  
  
"I must retreat now," Idash said," but I shall return shortly." And with that, he disappeared through a swirl in the ground, just like the way he came.  
  
Ryou looked at the tombstone next to Yugi's - the one of the boy that was cursed with that same evil spirit he had just overcome. He felt sorry for him.  
  
"I wonder why these two - especially Yugi, the master duelist, were buried in this area, where no one would think of looking," Ryou wondered.  
  
"Maybe," Gary said, "maybe his friends wanted it that way - to put his young mind" . . . his voice suddenly changed . . . "to rest."  
  
Yami had come out. Holding the three god cards in his hand, he closed his eyes.  
  
+Yami . . .+  
  
~They have returned.~  
  
+Your --+  
  
~Yes, Gary.~  
  
The trap-like chambers of Yami's mind began to clear, and the doors began to open. Doors were opening so quickly that all Gary saw was a large swirl that made him dizzy.  
  
Idash returned with something in his hands, the Millennium Scale.  
  
"Young one," Idash said.  
  
But Yami's eyes were still closed. He appeared to be in some sort of trance.  
  
~I remember now . . .~  
  
Idash, unable to get to Gary, put the Scale at Yami's feet. Ryou just stared in wonder. Then, Idash took off his necklace, which had the Millennium Key on it. He put it around Yami's neck. He then disappeared.  
  
The seven Millennium items, at last reunited around a single being, glowed like nothing Ryou had ever seen before. Then, as the light died down, all seven of them faded away.  
  
Yami, left with only a few strings around his neck, finally opened his eyes. With a jerk of the arm, he split into two. He was now staring at Gary, in the flesh, face to face.  
  
"Huh?" Gary said, rubbing his eyes. "Why, I can't believe it . . ."  
  
"What happened?!" Ryou exclaimed.  
  
Gary took a long look at Yami. "I think it has to do with the Millennium items. We are two separate entities now." He smiled and extended his arm to shake Yami's hand.  
  
"Thank you, Gary," said Yami. "Because of you, my true past has returned to me, and the god cards that contained it I now give to you. You were never a failure, and neither was your father. You are an exceptional person, and I will miss working with you."  
  
"Does this mean - " Gary began. Tears began to well up in his eyes.  
  
Yami nodded sharply, handing over the cards. "I must go, but a part of my soul will remain with you." He closed his eyes and slowly faded away.  
  
"Goodbye, Yami," Gary said quietly.  
  
Ryou put his arm around his best friend's shoulder. "Are you going to be okay?"  
  
Gary was silent for a while, but he finally smiled and said, "Let's get some green tea ice cream and then go home!"  
  
"Yeah!" said Ryou, smiling, although he knew he'd get in trouble for using up so much of his father's money on this unplanned trip.  
  
"But first . . ." Gary turned to take one last look at Yugi's tombstone. But it was no longer there. Astonished, he looked to where Bakura's tombstone was. It was gone, too.  
  
Gary closed his eyes. He ventured through the corridors of his mind, which now only had one room. He went inside his own Soul Room, and on the floor lay three Duel Monsters cards, lying face down.  
  
He flipped the first one over. It was the Dark Magician - a card that represented not only Yugi but Gary as well.  
  
The second was a Magician of Black Chaos ritual card, symbolizing Yami's soul card.  
  
The last card, which Gary took a little long to flip, was Shining Friendship.  
  
+Thank you, Yami.+ He knew that nobody was there to hear him. +Thank you for your friendship and Yugi's friendship. And . . . thank you for making me feel better about my father.+  
  
~You're welcome, Gary.~ But nobody was there to hear this thought, either.  
  
A swirl of hieroglyphs surrounded Yami, whose eyes were still closed. He saw the Great Pyramids of Egypt. He saw Seto Kaiba thrash his Duel Disk passionately. He saw his favorite Duel Monsters whisk by - alive, on tablets, and on cards. He saw Gary. He saw Gary's father, and the father of his father. He kept seeing the faces of Gary's ancestors fly by in a brilliant show. And finally, it was Yugi's face that appeared, smiling in his youth and innocence . . .  
  
. . . and Yami knew that he would be meeting with him very soon.  
  
The End 


End file.
